CAMPAIGN: IMPERIAL GUARD versus Orks

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Campaign: Destroy the Gargant campaign game 1
Mission: Night Fight
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1500
Location: Celebes, Salazar systems, Skolarii Sector
Background: En route to Celebes, Inquisitor Severus stopped off at Ceylanka to bolster his meagre forces. Although the planet is still infested with Orks many regiments of Ceylanka Tigers are based there, and Severus made contact with a certain Captain Jehan, requisitioning two detachments of his guerrilla fighters. Inquisitor Severus then made all haste for Celebes. Within an hour of dusting off we were in a firefight with Ork pickets on the outskirts of their encampment. Severus chose to stand off and place Jehan in charge of the engagement.

Imperial Guard with Daemonhunter allies

• Command Section, Captain Jehan with plasma pistol, Meltagun, Lascannon
• Eversor Assassin
• Infantry Platoon 1
• Command Section Diyon, Plasma gun, Missile launcher
• Squad Thehan, Vet sergeant with Bolt pistol, Heavy bolter, Flamer
• Squad Vidu, Mortar, Flamer
• Infantry Platoon 2
• Command Section Pamu, Sergeant with Bolt gun, Missile Launcher, Flamer
• Squad Ranuga, Mortar, Flamer
• Squad Kavith, Mortar
• Squad Derrida, 8 Stormtroopers, Plasma gun, Melta gun, Vet Serg, plasma pistol, Bolt gun, Auspex, Rhino, Smoke launchers
• Squad Baudrillard, 7 Stormtroopers, Grenade Launcher, Vet Serg, Hell Pistol, CCW, Krak grenades
• Sentinel, Multilaser
• Sentinel, Heavy Flamer
  

Orks

• Brazhak Snitchtongue, Warboss, Mega Armour, MegaBooster, CyborkBody, 5 Brazhak Bully Boyz, Nobs, Sluggers, Choppas, 'eavy armour, 1 Wartrukk big shooter
• 16 Greengobs, Slugga Boyz, 3 Rokkits, Nob, Iron Gob
• 16 Tusk Sharpeye Shooter Boyz, Nob, 3 big shooter
• 5 Bang Boyz, Tank Busterz, 3 rokkits
• 5 Snotfasts Bike Boyz, Warbikes
• 3 Killer Kanz, 3 big shooterz
  

Terrain and deployment
Lieutenant Diyon's Command Section deployed to the left, taking cover behind a ruined wall. Stormtrooper squad Baudrillard and Command Section Pamu held the middle ground while Squad Vidu and a sentinel took the front. The Orks can barely be seen on the horizon.

Over on the right the flanking force consists of Stormtrooper Squad Derrida in the Rhino, the Eversor assassin, Squad Thehan, and the Heavy Flamer armed sentinel.

Killer Kanz led the line for the Orks with the Snotfast Biker Boyz ready to deliver a solid right hook. A large Slugga Boyz unit followed up the initial wave (to the right), while the left flank was held by the Shoota Boyz. Hiding behind the large wall in the centre were the Bang Boyz Tankbusta Squad.

Turn 1

The Imperial Guard won the die roll for the first turn and took it, hoping to cause some early casualties with their long range firepower. Luck failed them however as they failed the first ten (yes, that's right, TEN!) 4+ to hit rolls. Things looked up briefly when the Mortars were on target landing in amongst the Greengob Slugga Boyz but the Mortars failed to wound a single Ork. On the right flank the sentinel stalked the Killer Kanz through the wood, with the Eversor assassin stealthily following up behind.

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, the Orks piled forward, eager to engage the frail humans in close combat. The Biker Boyz raced to the front so that the huge clouds of dust and smoke the bikes kicked out would shield the Orks to the rear. The Killer Kanz advanced menacingly and the Warboss' Buggy could just be made out behind them, sheltering behind the ramshackle mini-dreadnoughts. The sound of Big Shootas rang out across the battlefield and when the smoke cleared 3 men from Squad Vidu lay dead and the Sentinel near them was reduced to a smoking wreck.

On the Orks right flank the Shoota Boyz killed half of Squad Thehan in an impressive display of sharp shooting. The Guardsmen routed, only to rally when they reached the table edge.


Turn 2

For the most part the Imperial Guardsmen held their ground again and prayed to the Emperor to guide their shots. The remaining Sentinel continued to pick its way through the undergrowth, trying to outflank the advancing Orks.

Squad Vidu advanced into the oncoming Ork horde and let fly with a flamer, killing one of the Biker Boyz! This time more heavy weapon shots hit home and another Biker was killed along with a Killer Kan. The mortars were once again on target but failed to kill any of the Greengobs. Captain Jehan shifted uneasily as the Orks made it into assault range.

The Snotfast Bikerz jinked right then left, dodging the regular guardsmen in favour of the Stormtroopers beyond. The unfortunate Squad Vidu were then confronted by Warboss Brazhak Snitchtongue himself, along with his retinue of Nobs. What followed was definitely not for the squeamish...

Stormtrooper Squad Baudrillard are assaulted by the Biker Boyz but deployed behind the stream they manage to hold fast.

Turn 3

With the Orks advancing into the teeth of the Guard guns it was time for the flank attack. Pausing only to shoot the Wartrukk out from under the Warboss, the Eversor assassin leapt from the woods and assaulted the Slugga Boyz squad, killing the lead three Orks.

The Sentinel, meanwhile, also charged from the forest and made it into close combat with the Tankbustas. Note the Killer Kanz, reduced to just one model by Imperial guard firing.

Turn 4

The Orks pressed on regardless, desperate to contact the Imperial Guard firing lines. The Biker Boyz are reduced to just one model and the Warboss has lost his Wartrukk and some of his retinue. Despite the lack of numbers the Orks make mincemeat of Lieutenant Diyon and his command.

The assaults with the Sentinel and Eversor assassin continued in the centre of the battlefield, the assassin in particular outnumbered by the green horde. Eventually, sheer weight of numbers brought him down and he was hacked to pieces, only for the Greengobs to get a nasty surprise...

...the toxins and poisons flowing through the Assassin's veins mingled as he died and the resultant explosion killed half of the unit! To add insult to injury the Sentinel also exploded after a flurry of blows from the last Killer Kan and a Tankbusta Boy was killed.

Turn 5

Command Section Jehan and Squads Kavith and Ranuga fire everything they have at Warboss Snitchtongue.

Although the Ork leader survives his retinue is killed and he decides to make a tactical withdrawl. A huge cheer goes up from the Emperor's servants.

Turn 6

The Warboss fails his morale check once more then tries to mob up with the remnants of the Slugga Boyz but fails his dice roll again. With the Imperial Guard holding one table quarter and the Orks controlling another the battle result is a draw.

Result: Draw

Aftermath
So the Daemonhunters are forced to find another way into the Gargant construction fields, the Orks having held them up but failing to destroy their enemies.

The game was incredibly tense as two players with new armies tried to get to grips with their own forces as well as that of the enemy.

The Daemonhunters seemed to have lost the game early on as their first turn of shooting failed to kill a single Ork. In later turns they fared little better and to add insult to injury the Orks excelled in the shooting phase early on.

This was largely due to the big shootas on the Warbikes, the Killer Kanz and in the Shoota Boyz squad. Between them these three squads could kick out thirty-three strength five, armour penetrating five, hits per turn whilst moving. The regular Guard squads were shredded in short order as they were wounded on a 2+ with no saving throw.

Once the Stormtroopers became involved however their 4+ save allowed them to soak up the hits; in the centre the stormtroopers held up the Biker Boyz for several turns and reduced the squad to one model, on the right the Stormtroopers survived where the Guardsmen had been cut down.

This impressive Ork shooting display effectively destroyed any Daemonhunter flanking move on the right with Squad Thehan being killed to a man and the Stormtrooper Rhino being first immobilised and then, after rolling a lucky six to get moving again, being blown up while having smoke grenades deployed. Stormtrooper Squad Derrida clawed some dignity back when they forced the Tankbustas to rout on the last turn but they took some casualties of their own and were last seen running for the hills themselves!

The remaining flankers attacked the Ork centre instead with the Assassin taking out the Warboss' transport then crashing into the Slugga Boyz, and the Sentinel taking on the Tankbustas. While both the Assassin and scout vehicle both died in short order they managed to hold their opponents up for a turn or two and this then meant that the Orks were effectively attacking in two waves. These waves crashed into the main fire base of the Daemonhunter army; two platoons of Imperial Guardsmen.

Although they couldn't seem to hit a thing early in the game they excelled at close to medium range where they could bring their plasma gun, meltagun and numerous flamers to bear. Even the humble lasgun managed to fell several Orks due to the Orks lack of effective armour.

Although the Ork Warboss was a formidable foe in close combat, and every unit he touched he destroyed, the Guardsmen had just enough units to whittle his retinue down and force him to retreat. If the Orks had managed to make contact as one unified whole then the Guardsmen would simply have been overwhelmed.

As it was the tattered remnants of the Slugga Boyz only just reached the Guard in the last turn and they were locked in combat as the game ended, while Commander Jehan personally took the last bullet of the game in order to keep his unit above half strength and therefore claim the table quarter.

All in all a very enjoyable and tense game that went right down to the wire. The next game in the campaign is now a patrol with the Orks trying to prevent the Daemonhunters from infiltrating their camp.

Gauntlet tournament 2004 aftermath

Results
This was only my second ever tournament so my aim was to improve on my first. I finished 9th from 50 players in 2003 despite winning only one game. It was a fluffy good looking army, which won the best painted prize, but was terribly uncompetitive. This year I beefed up my list somewhat and took a harder Imperial Guard army. It wasn't 'cheesy' by any means but it had some bite at least and I felt it could force a good game from most opponents. I had hoped to win two games instead of just one.

I hoped I would be competing for best painted again. My Imperial Guard army had twice the number of models of the Daemonhunters I took last year and had more converted models. The only weakness I could see was that the army was in standard Cadian colours. Would the judges mark me down on originality?

When the results were announced I was very pleased to have finished in 3rd place overall. I was most pleased, though, by my second win for best painted. The judges were torn between two armies and the feedback I got was that my characterful little conversions had just edged it for me. Result!

Here's the certificate which hangs proudly on my wall:

So what else did I get out of the tournament?

I learned that just taking an Imperial Guard army doesn't mean you will automatically be able to outshoot the enemy. I was rudely disabused of this notion in my second game and it's a lesson I won't forget; look at your opponent's army/list first and then work out a plan.

I also learned that movement trays work just great. It made my army very easy to transport from game to game and looked good as a display during the painting judging. Sure it was basic but it was more than most other players had. I'll take any edge I can get.

I was more determined than ever, after this tournament, that I would plan my next tournament well in advance and get all of the painting finished before the day so that I could get some practice games in. It would also mean I could choose the units and models I actually wanted to play rather than settle for what I had painted.

And I wanted my army to be really competitive. If I was going to improve upon this year's result then it would mean winning all three games and that meant taking a hard army. I wouldn't do anything outrageous, creating a copy and paste 'netlist' or butchering the background but I wanted to play with an army that had real potential instead of tying one hand behind my back before the tournament started.

Overall I learned that I enjoyed the tournament experience and I would be back next year!

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines - Iron Warriors

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition, Gauntlet Tournament 2004 game 3
Opponent: Mr Talbot
Mission: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000

Chaos Space Marines - Iron Warriors

• Daemon Prince
• Predator Annihilator
• 8 Chaos Space Marines in Rhino
• 5 Chaos Space Marines with lascannon
• 3 Obliterators
• Basilisk
  

Terrain and deployment
I didn't get the full name of the guy I played in my third game so I only know him as Mr Talbot. After being outshot in my previous game I was looking forward to regaining that advantage only to find I was drawn against an Iron Warrior army!

It was a tough army too with a lot of hitting power in shooting and assault. I felt that played well it should own my Guard army. The one big weakness it had though was it's low model count - I counted a grand total of twenty models.

I deployed centrally around a small wood. Captain Kennell and the lascannon anti-tank squad hid inside with the Basilisk behind. The Infantry squads layered up in front with the conscripts on the outer edge.

This pushed the Iron Warriors back from the centre and they ended up deploying in each corner. Mr Talbot placed his Basilisk, lascannon marines, Daemon Prince and Obliterators towards my left flank and his predator and rhino on the right.


The game
Thankfully I won first turn. I stunned the predator on my right flank and on the left I targeted the Chaos basilisk with my own but missed. The action was split neatly between my left and right flank from that point on.

On the left we traded basilisk shots for three more turns until I destroyed the vehicle. Mr Talbot advanced his Obliterators in the open and I killed one per turn. I dropped the first two with missile launcher shots, and the last fell to a lascannon shot.


The Chaos Space Marines on foot stayed put and pumped shots into my basilisk until they destroyed it in the fourth turn. I never got close enough to threaten them so the squad survived to the end of the game.

Surprisingly the Daemon Prince didn't die either. He advanced up behind a small wood and then just hid there for the rest of the battle. I think my opponent was too worried by my firepower to expose him. Funnily enough I didn't fancy sallying out and taking him on at close quarters!


As a result my army took extremely light casualties on this flank.

On the right Mr Talbot sat his Predator and Iron Warrior marines out in the open plinking away at my conscripts at long range. I'll never know why he didn't whiz the rhino forward and try to take me on in assault.


My lascannons took out the predator and rhino in quick succession and the rest of my infantry began to whittle down the Chaos marines. I dropped my Stormtroopers in nearby but they whiffed their shots and took six casualties in return. The two survivors failed their morale test and began to retreat. Maybe it was the same two stormtroopers that made it through my first game alive?

I won the uneven firefight and wiped the squad out to a man. They just couldn't stand up to the hail of lasgun shots along with the odd missile launcher, grenade launcher and plasma gun.


Result: Win - you massacred 'im (we didn't bother totting up the points as I was so far ahead)

Learning points

• Although my opponent had a hard army list his tactics were poor. He should never have split up his forces and he should have pressed the assault at every opportunity. It just goes to show that it's not all about the army list in 40k - I think player skill is a bigger factor in deciding the winner of a game. Of course the list matters when player skills are equal but good players can often bridge the gap between the lists.
• After this game I was pleased that I'd won two games out of three, which was an improvement over last year, but I was kicking myself that I'd lost that second game. If I had even pulled out a draw I might have been challenging for the top spot but I knew I would fall short.

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Imperial Guard

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition, Gauntlet Tournament 2004 game 2
Opponent: ?
Mission: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Imperial Guard (opponent)
Points: 1000

Imperial Guard

• Command squad with heavy bolter
• 2 Infantry platoons with a mixture of heavy weapons
• Heavy weapon platoon with 7 heavy bolters and 3 lascannons
• Leman Russ
  

Terrain and deployment
I made a fundamental error in my approach to this game because coming into the tournament I assumed I would always be able to outshoot my opponent. I should have revised my opinion when I drew another Imperial Guard army for this game but I didn't.

The table was relatively bare with scattered rocks the main feature. There were some withered trees and a couple of ruined buildings near the centre. My opponent placed his army strung out along his deployment zone largely in the open to maximise his heavy weapon arcs of fire. He placed his Leman Russ on my right flank in cover.

I put most of my army in and around cover with Kennell and his command squad in the central wood with my lascannons. There was a line of Guardsmen screening out in front of them then the conscripts out beyond that. My stormtroopers would deep strike in.

The game
I quickly realised that I was screwed in a straight up shooting war in this game. Heavy bolters would be far better against my Guard than my missile launchers would be against his Guard.

I had deployed better in the sense that I had used cover and layered my squads and my opponent had put most of his heavy bolters out on the right flank. That meant that there were big blind spots in his firing arcs around the buildings in the centre and I could use these to advance into and engage his units piecemeal. But I had also deployed with the intention of sitting still and shooting.

My opponent made a mockery of my layering when he shot his Leman Russ battlecannon against Captain Kennell's squad. He spend several minutes laying his tape measure on it's side and trying to thread the shot through the conscripts, infantry squad, another infantry squad and then the lascannon anti-tank squad to put the template on my command squad. Of course the shot managed to kill my commander instantly.

Outrageous!

I pummeled his Leman Russ with missile launcher shots but it was behind cover and I couldn't even scratch it. After a couple of turns of trading largely ineffective firepower with each other I decided I was going to have to take the initiative and advance if I wanted anything other than a minor loss or a bore draw.

I sent the conscripts and the foremost infantry squad up between the buildings to take on the left flank. I also dropped the Stormtroopers in amongst his squads, close to the board edge in a very risky deep strike. They scattered but survived and we now had a game on.

I managed to clear three squads from the flank and had his command section cowering in the corner of the battlefield just as the game ended. Of course my own units had taken a hammering on the way in and I only had a handful of men left myself. The frustrating thing was that I had forced numerous morale checks on all of the squads and not one had failed. If they had they would have run straight of the table because they were all hugging the edge.

The funniest, or most depressing, part of the game was on my opponent's sixth turn. Up until this point he hadn't moved a single model in the entire game. Because I had advanced, his Leman Russ had no shot to my squads. He deliberated for several minutes about whether to move or not and then decided not to.

It meant he moved nothing for the entire game!

Result: Loss - marginal loss (672 victory points to 1107)

Learning points

• This was one of the least enjoyable games of 40k I have ever played. My opponent was okay as far as rules went (other than that dodgy shot with the Leman Russ) but his army was just awful. I can't understand how he could have gotten any enjoyment out of playing a list that just sat and shot for the whole game. It is the first and last time I have ever played an Imperial Guard gunline and it made me determined to never play such a list myself.
• At least my Stormtroopers performed in this game. They gunned one squad down entirely, finished another off in assault and then shot up the command squad despite taking heavy casualties. If the game had gone just one more turn they might have killed off the enemy commander and turned the game.

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Orks

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition, Gauntlet Tournament 2004 game 1
Opponent: Dave Allen
Mission: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Orks
Points: 1000

Orks

• Warboss and retinue in trukk
• Mad Dok with Cyborks in trukk
• 3 Seperate Killer Kans
• 30 Grots
• 10 Flashgits
• 10 Tankbustas

Terrain and deployment
Warhammer World was packed with excited gamers before the first game of the tournament. While we were waiting to discover our first opponents I got talking to a fella with a well painted Ork army. In turn he admired my Guardsmen. When the tournament organiser announced that we had to find our own opponent we quickly agreed to play each other.

I later found out that my opponent was none other than Dave Allen, of White Dwarf fame (I think he now works for the Black Library as a web developer). All you old veterans out there can check Dave out in UK White Dwarf 300 as he took part in a Tale of Four Gamers.

Dave was a thoroughly nice chap and a pleasure to play against.

We played on a snow table, devoid of much terrain typically for Warhammer World . There was a small stream on my left running from one long board edge to another. There were a few small bases of trees in my left deployment zone. There were a few scattered trees across the rest of the table but it was largely bare.

I fancied my chances.

Although my deployment strategy was sound for this game I rather fumbled it's execution. I got to place first and put down an Infantry unit front and forward to push back the Ork deployment. The rest of the platoon hugged my table edge with my lascannons.

I put the second platoon down on my right flank. I placed the basilisk on my far left behind the trees.

Then I realised I had the Conscripts...which should have been my push back unit. Oh well, I stuck them up on the hill with my infantry squad anyway. My Stormtroopers would deep strike in.

The Orks mass on the far side of the stream

Dave had his two rock hard HQ units in their trukks opposite my centre and right flank. His grots, Flashgits and Tankbustas started near the river on my left. He placed a Killer Kan on each flank and one in the middle.

The game
Dave won first turn and rammed the trukks down my throat, going for the bait squads I'd put in the middle. He advanced his Orks through the valley toward the basilisk and my firebase.

Orks incoming!

Dave managed to get an angle on my basilisk and blew it up with his tankbustas with his first shot of the game.

The Imperial Guard gunline

The Warboss and Mad Dok leapt from their trukks and charged into the poor old Imperial Guardsmen on the ridge. What followed wasn't pretty...

Waaaaaaaggghhh!

The conscripts were predictably wiped out to a man with the Warboss in the thick of the carnage. The regular Imperial Guard squad fared a little better thanks to the sacrifice of the conscripts and locked the Mad Dok and his retinue in combat for a crucial turn.

Blood in the snow

That left the Warboss and his retinue hanging in the breeze and I duly shot every gun possible at them. Only the Warboss emerged and he was wounded.

Where 'ave my boyz gone?

The Warboss staggered toward my lines but was cut down in another round of shots. By then the Mad Dok had untangled himself from the combat on the ridge just in time to face the Imperial Guard firing line. I had taken out both trukks so all the Orks were now on foot and although he survived two turns he got shot in the face just before he could lay his hands on my Guardsmen.

Tankbustas stalk past their target

With the attack repulsed on my centre and right I just had the Orks on the left to worry about. The Orks steadily advanced up the valley past the wreck of my Basilisk.

The stormtroopers deep strike in

In order to capture a table quarter I deep striked my Storm Troopers deep into the Ork deployment zone. Unfortunately they scattered out of shooting range. The Flashgits turned back and moved over the stream to fire their modified guns at the new arrivals. In a hail of explosive shells the Orks killed six Stormtroopers. My two survivors broke and started the long slog back to my deployment zone.

Imperial Guard squads move up to capture ground

I began moving my squads up to try and claim extra table quarters. The only problem was that both Killer Kans on the flanks were still alive. My lascannons all decided to miss for a couple of turns so I lost a squad on my right and the far right quarter remained unclaimed.

The Killer Kan assaults the Guardsmen while the stormtroopers continue to fall back

On my left platoon command squad 36, had to step forward round a wood to hit the other Killer Kan with their meltaguns. Fortunately the gamble paid off and the Ork walker was reduced to molten slag. With the Tankbustas dead too, and the Gretchin and Tankbustas too far away from the action the game was over.

My two surviving Stormtroopers had even made it back to my lines unscathed. I imagine Captain Kennel would have had them shot for cowardice!

Result: Win - decisive victory (1150 victory points to 621)

Learning points

• After comparing army lists and looking at the table I felt vary confident and that confidence wasn't misplaced. To make things worse Dave spread his deployment too much and that meant I could destroy his army one unit at a time.
• I made a right hash of the Stormtroopers. All they did was give up victory points. I need to be more thoughtful about their placement in the future. They are fragile!

Gauntlet Tournament 2004 - Introduction

The Gauntlet 2004 was to be my second ever tournament, following the Gauntlet 2003 last year.

It was to be the same format, with 50 or so gamers from the North-East of England traveling down to Warhammer World and playing 3 games of 40k in a Swiss-style match up. Points were gained for winning games as well as for army selection and painting. At the end of the day the points would be totaled and an overall winner would be announced, as well as a winner for best painted army and best general.

The Army
After the last minute rush to finish my Daemonhunters army for the Gauntlet 2003 I was determined not to make the same mistakes again. This time around I picked the Imperial Guard as my army. The new Cadian figures were released the previous autumn and I had bought the army box set really early. That left me with a good six months to paint up the figures and get some practice games in. No problem.

Or so I thought.

Here is the list that I took:

HQ

• Command Platoon 77, Captain Kennell (Junior Officer with Honorifica Imperialis), Company Standard, Medic, Missile Launcher
• Anti tank squad, 3 Lascannons
  

ELITES

• 8 Stormtroopers, meltagun, plasma gun, deep strike

TROOPS

• Infantry Platoon 1
• Command Squad 36, Junior Officer with power weapon and plasma pistol, 2 meltaguns, 2 plasma guns
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Platoon 2
• Command Squad, Missile Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 812, Flamer
• 20 Conscripts
  

HEAVY SUPPORT

• Basilisk, Indirect fire

The list I wanted to take included a small counter attack element in the shape of 5 Rough Riders but I had a very specific conversion in mind for them. Horses didn't fit with my idea of a quite hi-tech Guard army like the Cadians so I was going to convert them into bikers. They would take a lot of work but would be the centre-piece for the army.

In the event I simply ran out of time.

The Conscripts seemed to take an age to complete and I had a mini-crisis just before the tournament when I decided to pull all of the Voxes out of the army. That meant I had to build and paint an extra model for each squad the day before the tournament. In all I completed 90 models - double the number of Daemonhunters I took last year. Still, it could have been worse - last year I was painting until 2:30 in the morning.

This year it was only till 11:00 the night before!

I built a movement tray for my Cadians. I was worried about playing a large army in time restricted games. I knew from test battles in my local store that the Guard took a while to deploy and if I played one game straight after another I could have a nightmare keeping the models in the correct units. The movement tray was my solution. I kept it near the table as I played and placed casualties on it as I went, keeping the units together. I also thought it would help to display the army in the best way for the painting judges.

Tournament Rules
The scoring for the Gauntlet tournament works as follows. Points can be collected in three areas; gaming, painting and army selection.

Gaming
Three games are played in one day, with a maximum of 30 points available per game. The highest score possible from gaming is therefore 90 points.

Painting
There are 54 points up for grabs in the painting category. Although the exact method for calculating scores was never made public, I understand that marks were awarded for highlights, washes, drybrushes, basing, unit markings, conversions and originality.

Army Selection
Each army was judged before the tournament on the basis of the army list and background material. 36 points were possible.

The overall best points score available was therefore 180 points, although this would clearly be very difficult to achieve. After finishing 9th last year (and winning best painted army) I knew I would have a tough time improving my final ranking. Having said that, I knew far more about the tournament this time, knew what type or armies I could expect to face, and had a much more competitive army myself. My own goal was therefore to finish above 9th and to improve my gaming scores (I only won one out of three last year).

Missions
Each game used the same mission: Pitched Battle. Armies would be deployed along the long table edges, up to 18" in and can set up no closer than 24" from enemy units. Infiltrators set up last, at least 18" away from enemy models. Elites and Fast Attack choices could be kept in reserve.

Nightfight would be played on the first turn on the roll of a 1, last turn on the roll of a 6.

Victory points were earned as normal for destroying enemy units, but 200 extra points were up for grabs per table quarter.

Finally, the game would last six turns.

Scoring
There were seven different outcomes for each game, depending on the final victory point tallies. It wasn't just about winning, it was about how much you won by. There were seven different outcomes for each game, depending on the final victory point tallies.

• You massacred 'im (+1001 or more victory points) 30 points
• Decisive victory (+501 to +1000 victory points) 25 points
  
• Marginal victory (+201 to +500 victory points) 20 points
  
• Draw (-200 to +200 victory points) 15 points
  
• Marginal loss (-201 to -500 victory points) 10 points
  
• Decisive loss (-501 to -1000 victory points) 5 points
  
• Massacred (-1001 or less victory points) 0 points

DAEMONHUNTERS versus Imperial Guard

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition, Gauntlet Tournament game 2
Opponent: ?
Mission: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000
Location: Makazar, Salazar Systems, Skolarii sector
Background: Inquisitor Severus uncovers heresy in the command chain of the Makazar 31st Imperial Guard regiment. Although he swiftly executes the leaders of the Chaos Cult, isolated pockets of resistance still need to be mopped up.

Imperial Guard

• Command section with Commissar
• Platoon of troops
• Armoured fist squad in Chimera
• Hellhound
• Basilisk
• Leman Russ

Terrain and Deployment
At last a new opponent - a guy from the Darlington store with a shooty Traitor Guard army rather incongruously dedicated to Khorne made using the regular Imperial Guard list.

I knew I would have to charge forward into the teeth of the enemy guns due to my short ranged weapons and lack of tank busting ability. I set up for an attack on the left flank with the rhinos while the Stormtroopers advanced on foot up the middle and right.

He had a Leman Russ and Hellhound in the middle, the Basilisk, Command section and an Infantry squad on my left, and the rest of his army to the right.

The Game
The Rhinos unexpectedly survived until turn three, despite having to advance in the open, and then everything went pear shaped.

The Leman Russ hit a Stormtroopers squad with its battle cannon and killed every model. The Hellhound toasted four men in another unit and the survivors fell back 11”. The Armoured Fist squad roared up my right flank, the Guardsmen dismounted and then actually beat a Stormtrooper squad in assault and routed them off the table.

My Daemonhosts arrived and one was instantly killed by a missile launcher shot while the other fell to a volley of lasgun shots.

Even one of my poor Death Cult assassins was instantly killed by the Multi-laser on the Chimera.

Finally my Inquisitor slaughtered the Guard Command section in combat, swept after the routing survivors and ended up taking a point blank hit from the basilisk. He and his entire retinue perished in the blast.

In one devastating turn my army was shattered.

Result: Decisive Loss - 5 points

Learning points

• I desperately need long range firepower to take on tanks and such.
• The Daemonhosts are terribly vulnerable to a) massed small arms fire, and b) shots of Strength 8 or higher which kill instantly. I may have to think more carefully about their deployment.
• Most of my army have Toughness 3 and can therefore be instantly killed by Strength 6 weaponry like multilasers and grenade launchers. Ouch.

DAEMONHUNTERS versus Chaos Daemons

Game: Warhammer 40,000 5th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Capture and Control
Deployment: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Daemonhunters
Points: 1500
Location: 278.M41, Mandag, Hexen Sub, Skolarii sector
Background: Chaos Daemons continue to throw themselves at the perimeter of Mandag spaceport. The Imperial defenders are unsure whether the Daemons have a masterplan or if they are simply attracted to the battle. Whatever their mysterious motivations Inquisitor Severus is determined to hold the line.


Daemonhunters with Imperial Guard allies

• Inquisitor Lord Severus, thunder hammer, bolt pistol, sacred incense, sanctuary, 3 combat servitors, 2 acolytes with power armour and bolt pistols, 2 familiars, 2 hierophants, 3 mystics
• Inquisitor Kurven, Psycannon, power armour
• Inquisitor Mabus, Incinerator
• Eversor assassin
• 6 Stormtroopers, 2 flamers, rhino
• 6 Stormtroopers, 2 melta guns, rhino
• 6 Stormtroopers, 2 plasma guns
• IG infantry platoon
• Command section, junior officer, missile launcher, 2 plasma guns
• Infantry squad, missile launcher, grenade launcher
• Infantry squad, missile launcher, grenade launcher
• Infantry squad, missile launcher, grenade launcher
• Armoured Fist squad, flamer, Chimera, multilaser, heavy bolter, heavy stubber
• Sentinel, multilaser
• Leman Russ, heavybolter
  

Chaos Daemons

• Bloodthirster
• Winged Slaaneshi Daemon Prince
• Daemon Prince
• 8 Bloodletters, Standard, Musician
• 8 Bloodletters
• 5 Bloodletters
• 7 Daemonettes
• 8 Flesh Hounds
• 8 Flesh Hounds
• 3 Flamers
• Herald of Tzeentch
• 5 Horrors, Changeling

Terrain and deployment
I got the choice of table edge and would get first turn. Like the last game we played on this table I again picked the edge with the 3 storey ruin in the centre. I put my objective on the far right flank in largely open terrain. Gary put his pretty much opposite behind a 2 storey ruin.

I deployed my IG infantry and the plasma gun stormtroopers near the objective with Severus behind and to the left. My plan was to hold my objective in force and drip feed units onto the Daemon objective to contest it.

The game
Gary took a characteristically ballsy (or stupid!) decision to slam his units hard onto my right flank. It would undoubtedly define the game; either his units would scatter off the board, onto my units or get vaped by my mystics as they arrived or they would land largely unharmed and tear me apart. The Herald of Tzeentch got lost in the warp never to be seen and I got to place the Flamers on my far left flank. I also wounded the Daemon Prince and took a Flesh Hound unit down to just two models.

Advantage Imperium.

The Horrors and Bloodthirster also landed in my lines but shrugged off all my mystic assisted firepower. The Horrors wiped out my plasma gun stormtroopers and briefly held my objective.

I got every single unit other than Inquisitor Mabus and his stormtroopers from reserve. I now had to press my advantage.


Inquisitor Kurven zoomed on and scrambled from his rhino along with his meltagun stormtroopers. The unit took two wounds from the Bloodthirster. My IG command squad took off another and then I decided to charge Severus and crew in. They tore down the monster in combat with minimal casualties.

My other IG units passed their leadership tests to target the Horrors with the Changeling and destroyed the unit. Sundry other firepower took more wounds from the Daemon prince.

My Eversor entered the board from the wrong flank but that meant he could take on the Flamers. Unsurprisingly he killed the whole unit but he was too far from the action to get involved in the rest of the battle.

My Sentinel came on from my favoured flank near the Daemon objective. It missed all of its shots at the winged DP.

I had pretty much shattered the Daemon army in just one turn. Capture and Control is a very tough mission to win, though, so I knew I had to keep fighting hard.

A squad of Bloodletters landed near my lines as the surviving Flesh hounds and winged DP moved forward. Both Daemon princes tried to charge Severus' squad but the winged DP failed his difficult terrain test (caused by my Hierophants) and fell short. The regular Daemon prince was killed before he could swing.

The Flesh Hounds killed an IG squad. They then fell to IG shooting. Severus steamed into the last few Bloodletters and killed the whole unit while Kurven took out the winged DP. My objective was clear now and all I had to do was get to the Daemon objective.


Gary brought another two Bloodletter squads and his Daemonettes down next to his objective. He also brought his second Flesh hound unit down nearby but it scattered off the table and was destroyed.

I forgot to shoot the Sentinel and it was then overwhelmed by charging Bloodletters. I shot everything I had through the windows of the buildings and caused lots of casualties but not enough to clear the objective. Meanwhile, Inquisitor Severus was running over the battlefield to reach the objective, with my Armoured Fist squad and Inquisitor Mabus zooming up in their vehicles too.

I needed the game to go to turn six so that I could reach the Daemon objective. Sure enough the game ended on turn five.

Result: Draw - DH + IG 1 objective, Chaos Daemons 1 objective

Learning points

• Gary has a tough dilemma in taking on my army; either drop into my lines and risk scattering off the table or onto my units and risk getting shot up via the mystics but be in a good position to assault or drop further away negating the mystics and co-ordinating the Daemon army but then risking more shooting as they try to contact my lines. I favour the latter while Gary favours the former. Gary feels his way is more exciting but I think it just polarises things, taking any sort of tactics out of the game. Either the Daemons are lucky and survive the initial drop then overwhelm the defenders or they get shot up and are then overwhelmed themselves. At least if Gary switched between the two approaches it would give us both a bit of variety. I think if he deep striked conservatively, using terrain to shield his units, and launched a co-ordinated assault then it could be more tactical as the Daemons would then have more control over their positions and fights. Gary thinks that this is safe and boring. I guess it's a credit to the game that it can support these different points of view.
• I'm thoroughly sick of playing the same army every week now so I'll definitely shake things up for next time.
  

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Seek and Destroy
Level: Alpha
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 2000
Location: Jakarth, Salazar Systems, Skolarii Sector
Background: Commissar Yarrick rushes to Jakarth following the confirmation of Chaos Space Marines on the planet. A further shock is in store though; the forces of Khorne are led by Khârn the Betrayer! This looks like the beginning of another full scale Chaos invasion of the sub-sector. Can Yarrick and Kennell get out alive to warn the Imperium?


Imperial Guard

• Command Platoon 77, Captain Kennell Heroic Senior Officer with carapace armour, refractor field and power weapon, Company Standard, Medic, Master Vox-Caster, Sanctioned Psyker, Commissar with power weapon and bolt pistol, Priest with Shotgun, Rosarius and Holy Relic
• Commissar Yarrick
• Anti tank squad 3, Lascannons
• Sentinel, Autocannon, Extra Armour, Improved Comms
• 8 Stormtroopers, Sergeant with powersword, 1 meltagun, 1 plasma gun, deep strike, infiltrate
• Infantry Platoon 1
• Command Squad 36, Junior Officer with power weapon and plasma pistol, 3 meltaguns, 2 plasma guns, Priest with Rosarius
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Vox
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Vox
• Command Squad, Missile Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher, vox
• Infantry Squad 812, Missile Launcher and Plasma gun
• 20 Conscripts
• Armoured Fist Squad 812, Flamer, Chimera with multi-laser, Heavy Bolter, Heavy Stubber
• Sentinel, Multilaser, smoke
• Sentinel, Multilaser, searchlight
• Basilisk, Indirect fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines

• Khârn the Betrayer
• 8 Marines with Bolt pistols and Close Combat Weapons, aspiring champion with Daemonic Talons
• 8 Marines with Bolt pistols and Close Combat Weapons, aspiring champion with Daemonic Talons
• Mutated hull predator with hull heavy bolters and twin-linked lascannon
• 7 Marines with 1 lascannon
• 5 Havocs with 4 missile launchers
• Dreadnought with Lascannons
• 8 Bloodletters
• 8 Fleshounds
• 8 Khorne Berzerkers, Aspiring champion with powerfist
• 8 Marines, lascannon and plasma gun
• 4 bikers

Background
We played this game right after our combat patrol mission. Gary was keen to play a full 2000 point game and not mess around with piddly little encounters, and I reluctantly agreed. I was hesitant because I knew we still hadn't got many games under our belt with the new rules, and also because I had to make heavy modifications to my army list to bring it up from 1500 to 2000 points.

Normally I would add Daemonhunters allies but I only had the Imperial Guardsmen in my case, so all I could do was add priests, a psyker, a Commissar and loads of wargear, something I would never normally do. Ho hum.

Terrain and Deployment
While I changed my list Gary put the board together (normally this is my job). This was to have some interesting ramifications later on.

We had the palm trees and Oasis strung across the middle of the board with dunes around and about. We both had a bunker in our deployment zones, on each flank. I set up with my Basilisk behind the bunker with my lascannons in it. The Chimera and Leman Russ covered the Bassie's flank.

The heavily defended right flank

This little firebase was opposed by the Predator, the 5 man squad with lascannon and the bikes.

The Chaos army uses the terrain to avoid early casualties

In the centre I had the bulk of my infantry and two Sentinels facing the palm tree 'forest', with the conscripts front and forward. Gary had his two Chaos Marine units hidden behind this wood.

The Imperial Guard centre

On the left I had an infantry squad on a dune and Captain Kennell's squad behind it, along with Yarrick. They were well placed for a dash to the left or centre for a counter charge, I thought.

The Guard left flank - Yarrick can be seen on the extreme right lying on the dune

Opposite my Guard, the Chaos army arrayed the Khorne Berzerkers with Khârn, the Havocs in the Bunker and the Defiler behind the bunker.

The main Chaos firebase with Havocs on the bunker and the Defiler behind

Turn 1
I won first turn and took it, hoping to cause some damage before the enemy could respond.

I had an absolutely abysmal turn.

My Sentinel autocannon and a missile launcher failed to hurt the Defiler (in fact I missed with all 5 of my missile launcher shots this turn). I fired my multilaser Sentinels at the Havocs but they remained unharmed.

The Conscripts and Stormtroopers rush forward under covering fire

My Russ took out two members of Khârn's Berzerker squad in a spectacular cross-table shot. On the right I killed four models in the Marine squad, leaving the lone lascannon. My Basilisk targeted the Defiler but only scraped its paintwork.

The thin green line

Gary shot the Defiler back at the Basilisk and destroyed it, taking a lascannon out of my anti-tank squad at the same time. He raced his bikes 24" forward and both his Marine units on foot raged a full 6" into the wood, putting them in a good position to assault, and/or summon daemons next turn. His Havocs destroyed the Chimera and reduced the Armoured Fist squad to four models.

The Chimera is destroyed as the Chaos bikers race forward

Turn 2
I began my second turn in much the same way as I left the first. Four missile launcher shots missed (that's 9 in a row!) and then the fifth was saved by a biker.

Khârn's bodyguards are all but slaughtered

My two priority targets this turn were the Berzerkers on my left, with Khârn in tow, and the bikes. Both units had icons in very advanced positions and I needed to take them out. I killed every one of the Berzerkers except the Icon bearer, despite forcing multiple 'torrent of fire' tests. Two bikes remained after massed Imperial Guard fire. Oh dear.

The Flesh Hounds land right on the board edge

Khârn butchers the Stormtroopers

Both Daemon units arrived and for a moment I thought I had some good fortune. They both scattered; the Bloodletters off the bikes into one of my units, and the Fleshounds off the Berzerkers and onto the edge of the board. After some frantic flipping through the new rulebook we decided that the Bloodletters weren't destroyed as their summoning rules don't mention deep strike and part of the template was available to set up six models.

The Bloodletters are summoned deep into the Guard lines

The Fleshounds were even more controversial.

I had strung my Stormtroopers out in a thin picket line in front of the Berzerkers just in case the Daemons arrived here. My reasoning was that the Daemons would have to assault the Stormtroopers as they wouldn't have the movement to run around them towards the middle of the battlefield and hit my units behind. The Stormtroopers left flank was covered by the table edge.

The Fleshounds, though, scattered half off the board edge on the left and Gary wanted to move them in a thin column down the board edge. It turned out that what I thought was the edge of the board was just a ridge caused by the desert mat rutting up where it had been folded, and the actual board edge was a couple of inches beyond that. After some discussion I let Gary go ahead with the move.

I was doomed.

The Flesh Hounds slip past the Stormtroopers to attack the Infantry behind

The pinned Command Section (right) look on helplessly

The Hounds rip the Guardsmen apart and hunt for their next prey

His Defiler hit my Command squad behind the dune and despite having 10 leadership I failed my pinning check. That meant I had no counter attack to throw at the Flesh hounds as they hit an infantry squad on my left.

Khârn finished off the Stormtroopers, while in the centre both of Gary's Marine squads raged again and assaulted the conscripts, wiping them out and running them down. The Bloodletters also charged an Infantry squad, right in the heart of my lines, killing them all and then consolidating into another squad.

Khorne Berzerkers crash into the Guard front line

The rest of the game consisted of me trying ever more risky moves to try and stay in the game only to fail miserably. The Daemons pretty much did for all of the infantry squads over the course of the game then they in turn were killed by the dregs of Kennell's command section. They were subject to several more bombardments during the game (both indirect and direct) and they were eventually killed.

The Bloodletters slaughter one squad and move on to another

The entire Guard centre is annihilated

The Flesh Hounds tear down a Sentinel next

The forces of Chaos mow down all who stand before them

Khârn takes on the last Sentinel in combat

Only two more things stood out for me in the game. Yarrick took on a full Marine squad and destroyed it single handedly, and I threw a Sentinel into combat with Khârn and it held him up for the rest of the game.

It was far too little, far too late, though. Gary ran out a very comfortable winner.

The final Infantry squad dies bravely defending Yarrick

Yarrick defiantly retakes the dune but more Berzerkers are on the way...

Yarrick goes down fighting

Result: Loss - Crushing defeat

Imperial Control: Reduced 54%

Kennell's Commendation: The Sentinel driver who 'danced' with Khârn for several turns and kept him away from the rest of my army.

Learning points

• My defeat here had nothing to do with my army list really, it was due to having two extremely poor turns at the start of the game. Because we play such polarised armies the early part of our games are crucial to each army. If I roll well or Gary rolls poorly then he doesn't make it into combat and goes down to my superior firepower. Conversely, if the roles are reversed then his army makes it into combat relatively unscathed and chops my Guardsmen into tiny little pieces. This time the dice fell heavily in Gary's favour and he took full advantage of it.
• I must try and keep my Guardsmen over 6" apart to stop consolidation by close combat opponents. This means I'll need to bunch my models together, which is dangerous against template weapons, but the trade off will probably be worth it. I'll try it out in future games.
• That table edge dispute was a real killer for me, making a mockery of my battle plan. Oh well, at least it is extremely unlikely to happen again.